A Call for Decision - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, Thou the resolve, my God and King, Thou triumphs of His grace.

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear, my voice ascending high. To Thee will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn, Thy will I turn! To thee will I die, to thee will I die, to me my friend, to thee will I die, to thee will I die, my friend, to thee lift up my knife. Up to the hills, where Christ is gone, to plead for all his saints, presenting at his harvest all our songs and our complaints.

Presenting at his harvest all our songs and our complaints. O may thy spirit guide my feet in ways of righteousness. Make every path of dirty strength and pray before my face.

Make every path of dirty strength and pray before my face. I encourage you to take time to write us and let us know that you've listened to the broadcast. Our mailing address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. And I remind you that if you miss a program, you can go to our website and hear it there.

There are a couple of stations we're going to have to cancel in the next couple of weeks. And so if the program disappears off your station, I hope you will go to the website and hear us at BaptistBibleHour.org. Today we come to the second part of the message entitled, A Call for Decision. This being our last message from the series on the book of Joshua. The text is Joshua chapter 24, verse 15. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Well, as the people then make this second claim, Joshua is ready to accept their testimony and move forward. So he now makes a covenant for the people. They insist we will serve the Lord, verse 21 again, and the people said unto Joshua, nay, but we will serve the Lord. So now a covenant is made. Joshua says this being the case, you're making this commitment, we're going to write it down.

We're going to have a stone set up as a monument, a memorial, so that you will not forget. So back to Joshua, the last chapter in verse 22. And Joshua said unto the people, ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen you, the Lord, to serve him. And they said, we are witnesses. We're ready to testify to this thing. We're ready to be a witness.

This is what we've committed to do. Now, therefore, put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you. Is there any question in your mind about why Joshua's response was so abrupt and seemed to be so negative?

Here it's made clear, because he knew the situation. They had their false gods among them. So he's saying, therefore, put away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, the Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.

Now here's two things necessary in this decision, to serve and obey the Lord. And Joshua was satisfied then with that kind of a testimony. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and sent them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. He said, alright, this is now an ordinance, this is now a covenant, this is now an agreement, so we're going to put it down in the book.

And it's going to be there for your remembrance. Verse 26, so Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said unto all the people, behold this stone shall be a witness unto us, for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us. It shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. So once again a stone is set up as a reminder for God's people of what has transpired. We're going to write it in the book, we're going to put up a stone. And when you look on that stone you're going to remember you made a promise to God.

You made a decision, we will serve the Lord and put away our false gods. This reminds us that throughout the book of Joshua, this practice has been followed. We go all the way back to the crossing of Jordan. They put twelve stones in the midst of the river and twelve stones on the west bank of Jordan. They put up stones at the valley of Achor. They put up a heap of stones at Ai where Achan was stoned to death because he had taken of the spoil of the city which was a violation of God's command. And then the fifth time was the altar at Mount Ebal and also then the stones of the law at Ebal. The seventh time were the stones at the cave of Makedah where five kings that were the opponents of the Israelites were buried.

And then there was an altar built by the two and a half tribes that lived on the other side of Jordan. And now the ninth time, this stone is a witness. Now all of these were put up with the intention to keep before the people a remembrance of what had occurred. Certainly to remind them of the victories they had enjoyed that God had committed the enemy into their hand. But also to remind them when they saw those stones at Ai that here was a man and his family that died because they had disobeyed God and had not repented. And so the stones are there. One of the things he said when the stones were set up, these will be useful that when your children come along and ask what mean these stones, you'll be able to tell them about how God has worked on your behalf, blessed you and delivered you.

And you want to convey this message to them. Well, somebody might say, well, is it really best that stones would be set up to make people think about the past? What's happened in the past? Well, obviously, there are some things in the past that you need to forget. The Apostle Paul said, forgetting those things that are behind pressed toward the mark for the pride of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. There are things that you can mull over and fret over and you have to come to the realization you can't change the past.

You can ask God to forgive you of past sins, errors and mistakes, but you can't change it. So there are some things to be forgotten. But there are certainly things to be remembered that will give us guidance for the present and encouragement. So when we're remembering the great works of God, we do not have a stone set up. We have his word, which is full of the testimony of the great and mighty works of God. And then we sit at the Lord's table, which reminds us vividly of the sacrificial work at Calvary. What a privilege, what a blessing to sit at the table and to see the bread and the wine there symbolically speaking of his blood and his body. I think when the church meets for that purpose, how can you possibly make plans to be somewhere else? What could be more important than to sit at his table and show forth his death till he comes?

Well, we're thankful for those reminders that God gives us of what he has done for us and gives us encouragement as to how we are to move forward. And then we must recognize Joshua's great example. He made a firm decision, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. He didn't say we're thinking about it, we're contemplating it, or say I'm going to serve God, but I don't know about my household.

I haven't had much communication with them, obviously. He was the leader of his household, and he'd had enough communication with them that he could speak on their behalf and say, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The announcement of his decision did not have the hollering like that that was being made by the people at first when they said we will serve the Lord while they still had their false gods hidden away.

But when he made the announcement, it sounded real. And the people knew that because they had observed him all these years as he had led them through one battle after the other and was blessed of God as such a great leader and such a great example. And so his testimony meant something. Moses had said concerning Joshua prior to his death, he said, he has followed the Lord fully. What a testimony.

Wouldn't it be wonderful for somebody to be able to say that about you? That person has followed the Lord fully. And then when Joshua was out surveying the situation before they were to go into the city of Jericho, he saw a man and he approached him. The man had a sword. He said, are you on our side or are they opponents? And the response was, as captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come? What was Joshua's response? Joshua didn't say, no, I'm the man that's in charge here. He recognized this man to be none other than the Lord. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, what saith my Lord unto his servant?

So here's the kind of man Joshua was. Joshua wanted always in every decision, in every action and all that he did to be surrendered to the Lord. What saith my Lord unto his servant.

Yes, Lord, you are the one who is captain of the host of the Lord and I'm submissive and surrendered to you. Let's think just a little bit about the benefit of that decision. When a decision is made, there is no vacillating.

There is no wavering. And certainly we're living in a time when that decision is absolutely crucial. To continue to stand for biblical principles. When the attitude of the culture around us is that if you're looking to the Bible as the standard for morality, that's hate speech.

And they are ready to try to shut you down if you speak out boldly about it. When you see the laws that are currently being enacted in our Congress, some which have been suggested and are moving their way forward. Or you see the executive orders which are so contrary to the teaching of God's word.

What's that going to mean for us in days ahead? Have you made a decision, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So no matter what we encounter with all of the new rules, regulations, and laws which are enacted that jeopardize our religious liberty. Are you ready to stand? And certainly we must make that commitment even in humility to say, Lord, I recognize I am weak and I don't want to be boastful about it. Lord, I need thy help to be able to stand. A father in Canada was put in jail because he was using the pronoun her with regard to his daughter that wanted to be considered a male.

Put in prison. Now who could have ever imagined such folly some years ago, but you know the scriptures talk about the fact that those who are in darkness and under the influence of Satan are ignorant. Now when you talk to anybody in the world today, if you were to use that terminology and say the position you hold is absolutely insane, you're ignorant for holding it, they would obviously be deeply offended and want to retaliate. But I'm just telling you what God's word says, how he defines some of the absurdities that we are witnessing in our culture today. Are you ready to stand? There is no vacillating when the decision is made. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And it was openly announced.

This wasn't just a matter that Joshua decided in his own mind and heart. I'm going to serve the Lord. I want the people to know. I want them to know that this commitment has been made. And when we make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, it's to be made by public announcement. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 32, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Now you may say, well, I don't really understand all of that. Well, there's much you can understand about it that confessing Jesus Christ is an important matter. It's not just a personal thing.

It's not just something you keep inside of you. It's something that you acknowledge and you profess openly, making that decision. Well, furthermore, that decision settles many questions. Paul said in Philippians 3.21, For to me to live is Christ. So if the decision is made, I'm following Christ, I'm serving him at all costs, whatever it may require.

I'm following him exclusively. But then when deciding on specific issues in life, really the decision's already made. You have something come along and you're trying to decide, should I do this or that?

Well, here's the question. You've made your decision to serve the Lord. Can you serve the Lord and do this? Can you serve the Lord and do that? There may be several options, several different things you can do and in all of them be serving the Lord. And that's all well and good.

But many times just confronting that question will eliminate some of the things that you were pondering. Can I take this job? Can I go to this place?

Can I enjoy this kind of entertainment? Can I look at this show on television and while doing it say, I'm serving the Lord. I'm honoring him. He's first. He's foremost in my life.

I want to do what pleases him. So you make this one decision. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And that settles a lot of other questions. Well, Joshua was able to speak for his house and that indeed was something wonderful. So we see the blessing of a godly influence. Now we're coming down to the end of the journey. This is Joshua's last message to the people. It says in verse 29, and it came to pass after these things that Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord.

Oh, that's a wonderful thing to be said about somebody when they're coming down to the end of the way. He was the servant of the Lord, died being 110 years old. What a testimony. What a faithful servant. What a man of God he was. The leader of his own household influencing them in the right direction, leading the children of Israel, instructing them, going out on the battlefield and winning victory after victory by the enabling power of God. So we say, now this man is laid to rest.

What will be the future? How long will his testimony be an influence? Verse 31, and Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that over-lived Joshua and which had known all the works of the Lord that he had done for Israel. So for all the days of Joshua and for those elders, those who had worked with him and over-lived him, the people served the Lord. Wonderful testimony indeed.

But then we go to the next book. After Joshua, we go to Judges. Judges chapter 2 verse 10. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord. Now this is talking about the Israelites. This is talking about the people that Joshua had led and ministered to, but after his death and after the death of the others that had labored with him, that generation had been gathered to their fathers. Now there arose another generation which knew not the Lord nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Balaam. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers. You think, how could this happen after such an amazing example set by Joshua?

Such a wonderful job of instructing the people, putting up these various monuments to remind them of what God had done. And now in just a few short years comes up a new generation and they don't know the Lord. This generation doesn't know the works of the Lord.

How could that be? How could they not know about the great and mighty things that God had done for them as a people? Now Moses had made it clear to the children of Israel on the authority of God's message to him that they were to teach their children.

That's repeated in great detail. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you instruct your children. Well apparently while these parents had followed the Lord in their own walk for a period of time, they did not adequately instruct their children. Maybe the parents assumed that because they were living in their household they believed everything they believed. They assumed that they had gotten the message.

They didn't really spend enough time with them to find out. And that can be a great danger today. Several surveys have indicated that there are many young people in Bible believing churches today that have already left as far as their thinking and their commitment is concerned.

And they will be physically gone when they reach a certain age. Don't take it for granted that because you bring your children to church that they absorb everything that's preached. Don't take it for granted that even when you try to teach them at home that they've accepted what you've taught and embraced it. Be sure that you have intimate conversation with them.

Not only teaching them but questioning them. Must not take anything for granted but have in-depth communication with your children. Well, we see here the importance of making the right decision.

Joshua made it. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. What about you? Have you made that kind of decision? Can you say with Joshua today as for me and my house we will serve the Lord? And you say in your decision that I want to honor Him in all things in every detail of my life.

Or am I speaking to somebody who down in your heart you say yes? I believe that God has saved my soul. And I love Him and I want to honor Him and I've made a decision but you've never made it public. You need to do what Joshua did. Not only make the decision but let it be known that your commitment to Jesus Christ, your intent to follow Him be a public thing to the glory of His name. Heavenly Father we thank Thee for Thy abundant mercies and we thank Thee for the beautiful example we find in Joshua's life. May we learn from it, apply the principles in our life. We pray that Thy would bless us, that our commitment may be strong without wavering that we can say of a truth today as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Lord help us in this time when there are so many ideas totally foreign to the teaching of Thy word that must be resisted. Give us courage and faithfulness to stand firm for that which honors Thee. For Jesus sake we pray, amen.

Well we see that Joshua was not only a great leader on the battlefield, he was a strong leader at home. He could speak for his family and say as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. May we all make that commitment today and until next week at the same time may the Lord richly bless you all. You are in heart of God, help me to be. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Be thou my friend and guide, Let me with Thee abide, Your hurting heart, help me to be.